Posted on April 5, 2007
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has caught the attention of the college crowd.
Freshmen Yvonne Tinsley and Lauren Gilbert were inspired after hearing Obama speak at George Mason University on Feb. 2.
“Barack has something I had never seen before,” Tinsley said. “Barack has the ability to move a crowd not only by his eloquence but by his articulation and intelligence … he is able to relate to the American public.”
College students nationwide have taken an interest in the potential democratic candidate. Tinsley and Gilbert were so inspired that they began a JMU chapter of the Students for Barack Obama movement. SFBO began as a Facebook group, created by Meredith Segal of Bowdoin College. Currently, SFBO has 66,000 members.
On Tuesday, members of the JMU Chapter sponsored “Operation Obama” on the commons, where they handed out promotional JMU SFBO flyers and encouraged students to attend an educational forum that evening at Taylor Hall.
“The goal of the educational forum is to let interested students know different ways that they can get involved in politics and provide them opportunities to do so,” Gilbert said. “We also want to provide resources for those who might be interested in Barack Obama or any other candidates.”
Every organization on campus was invited to participate in the discussion about the American political system and the upcoming presidential election. All students were welcomed to contribute their opinions.
The forum outlined a few of Obama’s stances, including his enthusiasm to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by March 2008, discover new environmentally friendly and efficient forms of energy, increase federal funding for post-secondary education, close the gap between the wealthy and poor classes, and end the genocide in Darfur.
According to Tinsley, Obama stresses community involvement in his campaign and in keeping with that philosophy, the JMU chapter of SFBO hopes to integrate students and the Harrisonburg community.
“One of the best ways to change our nation is not only in the White House, but also in the community,” Tinsley said.
Gilbert also founded “Buttons For Obama!” which sells Barack Obama buttons for $2 each, with all of the profits going toward his campaign.
While many contend that college students are apathetic voters, according to the census bureau, voter participation among 18-24-year-olds increased from 36.1 percent in 2000 to 46.7 percent in the 2004 presidential election.
“I think that Barack has inspired college students to once again believe in the voting system,” Tinsley said. “What will change this election is that students will vote because they have a reason to — Barack is that reason.”
